Suction cleaners



Aug. 10, 1965 E. SEGESMAN SUCTION CLEANERS Filed Sept. 25, 1962 United States Patent 3,19,137 SUCTEGN CLEANER? Louis E. Segesman, Canton, @hio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, @hio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Sept. 25, 1962, Ser. No. 226,933 6 Claims. (Cl. 15-323) The present invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to an arrangement of parts within the cleaner body to provide an area for storing cleaning tools used with the cleaner.

An object of the invention is to provide a canister type suction cleaner with a chamber in which is arranged a suction creating motor-fan unit and a cooperating partition to form a tool storage compartment. Another object is to provide a canister type cleaner with a suction chamber in which is arranged a partition to form a tool storage compartment and a support for a filter bag when the cleaner is placed in upended storage position. A further object is to provide a canister type suction cleaner with a suction chamber having a motor-tan unit cooperating With a partition to form a tool storage compartment and the partition also supporting a filter bag in the suction chamber. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawing, wherein:

FIGURE, 1 is a top plan view of the suction cleaner with the cover in opened position, and

FEGURE 2 is a section along the line 2-2 in FIG- URE 1 and showing in dotted lines the cover in closed position.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises a body it having a base Ill and a cover 12. The base 11 includes a bottom wall 13, upstanding front and rear walls 14 and 15 respectively, and oppositely disposed side walls 1-5, the upstanding walls terminating in a marginal flange 17. The cleaner is supported on a front castor 1S and two rear wheels 13, the latter projecting slightly beyond the base rear wall 15. A carrying handle 29 is secured to the base front wall 14 for carrying the cleaner with the body suspended substantially vertically.

The cover 12 has a top wall 21 from which extends opposed side walls 22 and a rear wall 23, the extending walls and the front end 24 of the top wall terminating in a marginal flange 25 provided with a suitable gasket 26 which seats against the base flange 17 when the cover 12 is in closed position. The front end 24 of the cover 12 is provided with a lateral extension 2'7 forming pant of a hinge 23 and which receives pins 29 at its opposite ends rota-tably supported in brackets 39 mounted on the base front wall 14. A suitable latch 31 is mounted on the base rear wall and has a hook 3-2 which engages the cover flange adjacent the cover rear wall 23 to lock the cover 12 in closed position. When the cover 12 is closed the handle 2% can be grasped to lift the cleaner for transporting it and the cleaner is stored in upended vertical position by resting the rearwardly projecting wheels 19 and the latch 31 on a horizontal supporting surface indicated by the dotted line 33 in FIG- URE 2. A suction air inlet 34 is formed in the cover top wall 21 for receiving the elbow 35 of a hose 36, partially shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2, and the opposite end of the hose is provided with a suitable surface cleaning tool in a manner understood in the art. A resilient sealing ring 3'7 is attached to the inner surface of the cover top wall 21 and has an opening in alignment with the inlet 34.

The walls of the base 11 define a chamber ill at the rear end portion of which is a suction creating motorfan unit 41 enclosed in a housing 42 and mounted on a ddlhhld? l ra-tented Aug. 10, 1965 platform 43 by a suitable bracket 44. The motor-fan unit 41 has a suction air inlet 45 and the air under high pressure is exhausted from the unit through a boot 46 connected to an outlet $7 in one of the base side walls 16. A suitable unshown switch controls the electric motor-fan unit 41.

Mounted on the base front wall 14 is a bag supporting bracket 48 having a rearwardly projecting bifurcated end 49 provided with a shoulder 50 which slidably receives a collar 51 attached to the top wall 52 of a paper filter bag 53. The shoulder fill is provided with a pair of spaced lugs 54 which seat in openings 55 in the bag collar $1 to retain the bag 53 on the bracket 48. The bag 53 and the collar 51 are provided with a dirty air inlet 56 which communicates with the suction air inlet 34- when the cover 12 is moved to its closed position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2 and the resilient ring 57 presses against the collar 53; to form an airtight seal with the bag inlet 56.

A partition 6% of rigid material is arranged between the filter bag 53 and the motor-tan unit 41 and is secured by a plurality of brackets 61 to the base bottom wall 13. The partition 64 cooperates with the base side walls 16 and front wall 14- to form a filter chamber 62 adjacent the front end of the base 1'1. The partition is of arcuate configuration extending toward the base rear wall 15 to permit expansion of the bag side wall 63 as shown in dotted lines 54 to support the expanded side wall of the bag when the motor-fan unit 41 is operating and also when the cleaner is upended into its storage position. The upper edge of the partition 6% is spaced from the top Wall 21 of the cover 12 when the latter is closed to permit free passage of air bet-ween the bag chamber 62 and the motor-fan unit 41.

The partition 69 is spaced from the motor-fan unit 4 -1 to provide a compartment as in which surface cleaning tools used with the hose 36 may be stored, The cleaning tools show-n stored in the compartment as are a crevice tool 67 and a floor nozzle 68, and other tools may be placed the-rein. The stored tools are supported by the partition 60, the housing 42 of the motor-fan unit 41 and portions of the opposite base side walls 16.

When the cleaner is not in use the cover 12 is closed and the cleaner is stored in upended vertical position by placing the rear wheels 19 and latch 31 on the supporting surface 33 shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2. In this position the lower area of the side wall 63 of the paper filter bag 53 sags downwardly under the weight of the accumulated dirt and rests against the partition oil as indicated by the dotted lines 64 in FIGURE 1. In the upended position of the cleaner the tools 67 and 68 can shift downwardly and rest against the motor-fan unit 41.

When it is desired to perform a cleaning operation the body it is supported on its front and rear wheels, the cover 12 opened and the desired tool 67 or 68 removed from the tool compartment 66 and attached to the hose 36. The cover 12 is then closed and the hose elbow 35 secured in the suction air inlet 34 to connect the cleaning nozzle with the bag 53. The motor is energized to create suction pressure within the chamber 49 between the base 11 and the closed cover 12. This suction pressure extends to the cleaning tool being moved along the surface being cleaned and causes dirt-laden air to travel through the hose 36 into the bag 53 which filters the air and the cleaned air passes between the top edge 65 of the partition 66 and the cover top wall 21 to the inlet 45 of the motortan unit 41 which discharges the air under pressure through the outlet 47 in the base side wall 16 to atmosphere. The partition 6t? also supports the expanded side wall 64 of the filter bag 53. When the cleaning operation is completed the selected tool is removed from the hose 35 and stored in the compartment 66.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that the motor fan unit 41, tool compartment 66 and filter bag 53 are all arranged within the chamber 49 and access thereto .is provided by opening the cover 12 which also forms the exterior top p-ortion of the cleaner body. 7

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this ernbodiment is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but t-osinclude all equivalent variations except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A suction cleaner comprising a body including an elongated base and a cover therefor, a suction creating motor-fan unit, means mounting said motor-fan unit in said base at one end thereof, partition means on said base and intermediate the ends of said base cooperating with said base and cover to define a filter chamber at the opposite end ofsaid base, a dirt filter, means mounting said dirt filter in said filter chamber, and said partition means being spaced from saidmotor-fan unit and cooperating with said motor-fan unit, base and cover to define a tool storage compartment between said motor-fan unit and said partition, said partition means being arranged to permit flow of air between said filter chamber and said motorfan unit and said cover providing access to said motor-fan unit, tool storage compartment and filter chamber.

2. A'suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and said base including spaced walls defining part of said filter chamber, and said partition means extending between said spaced walls to define one end wall of said filter chamber and one end wall of said tool storage compartment.

' 3. A suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and means for supporting said cleaner in upended position, said dirt filter comprising a bag having top and side walls, said filter mounting means supporting said bag at said top wall. when said cleaner is in normal operating position, and said partition means arranged with respect to said filter bag to support the side wall thereof when the cleaner is in said upendedposition.

p 4. A suction cleaner comprising a body including an elongated base and a cover'thereior, said cover cooperating with said base to define a suction chamber, 'a suction creating motor-fan unit, means mounting said motor-fan unit in said suction chamber at one end thereof, partition means in said base intermediate the ends of said base cooperating with said base and cover to define a filter chamber at the opposite end of said base in said suction chamber, a dirt filter, means mounting said dirt filter in said filter chamber, said partition means being spaced from said motor-fan unit and cooperating with said motorfan unit, base and cover to define a tool storage compartment in said suction chamber between said motor-fan unit and said partition, said partition means being arranged to permit flow of air between said filter chamber and said motor-fan unit, and said cover providing access to said motor-fan unit, tool storage compartment and filter chamber. v

5. A suction cleaner as described in claim 4, and said base including spaced walls defining part of said filter chamber, and said partition mean extending between said spaced walls to define one end wall of said filter chamber and one end wall of said tool storage compartment.

6. A suction cleaner as described in claim 4, and means for supporting said cleaner'in upended position, said dirt filter comprising a bag having top and side walls, said filter mounting means supporting said bag at said top wall when said cleaner is in normal'operating position, and said partition means arranged with respect to said bag to support the side wall thereof when the cleaner is in said upended position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,766,844 10/56 Humphrey 15 347 X 2,975,460 3/61 Sundberg 15 323 FOREIGN PATENTS 61,996 3/44 Denmark. 63,065 1/45 Denmark. 928,550 6/55 Germany.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SUCTION CLEANER COMPRISING A BODY INCLUDING AN ELONGATED BASE AND A COVER THEREFOR, A SUCTION CREATING MOTOR-FAN UNIT, MEANS MOUNTING SAID MOTOR-FAN UNIT IN SAID BASE AT ONE END THEREOF, PARTITION MEANS ON SAID BASE AND INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID BASE COOPERATING WITH SAID BASE AND COVER TO DEFINED A FILTER CHAMBER AT THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID BASE, A DIRT FILTER, MEANS MOUNTING SAID DIRT FILTER IN SAID FILTER CHAMBER, AND SAID PARTITION MEANS BEING SPACED FROM SAID MOTOR-FAN UNIT AND COOPERATING WITH SAID MOTOR-FAN UNIT, BASE AND COVER TO DEFINE A TOOL STORAGE COMPARTMENT BETWEEN SAID MOTOR-FAN UNIT AND SAID PARTITION, SAID PARTITION MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO PERMIT FLOW OF AIR BETWEEN SAID FILTER CHAMBER AND SAID MOTORFAN UNIT AND SAID COVER PROVIDING ACCESS TO SAID MOTOR-FAN UNIT, TOOL STORAGE COMPARTMENT AND FILTER CHAMBER. 